


Winds of Tomorrow

by kolbietheninja



Series: Naruto Time Travel Fics [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: And Hinata's one-sided crush on Naruto, BAMF!Kiba, BAMF!Team 8, Epic Bromance, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Just an excuse for Team 8 fluff, Kiba's going to fix everything, Mostly silly, No Romance, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other than Asuma/Kurenai probably, Slow Updates, Sorry Not Sorry, Team Bonding, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Will probably ignore latest manga chapters, and i mean really slow, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 05:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2570699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kolbietheninja/pseuds/kolbietheninja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"On the morrow, the winds of tomorrow will blow." - Japanese proverb</p><p>Kurenai is thankful she didn't get the walking disaster that makes up Team 7. Kiba's just being himself. And are Hinata and Shino coming out of their shells? The future's looking brighter already.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

"One who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger."

\- Japanese proverb

* * *

 

 

They arrive within the dead of night, a gleam of determination present in the both of them. Standing from the crouch he'd appeared in, the man softly pads his way to the bedside of the young boy, and it is as if he were a ghost, flitting about the darkness, making no sound as he glides, wasting no movement. His companion moves much the same toward the small animal next to the boy. The tension in the room is palpable, and the very air seems to teem with anticipation.

Taking a silent, calming breath and appearing almost apologetic, he lifts his hand from its position at his side and makes a move for the boy just as the other sets his nose on identical white fur. The barest of skin comes into contact, that of the man's hand and the boy's forehead, and quite suddenly, the man is no more. Again, the dog disappears just the same. No sooner than a few moments later, boy and pup awaken, and looking rather disbelieving and hopeful all at once, they look to one another, a smile overtaking his tan features and a decidedly feral grin showcasing the dog's canines.

 

* * *

 

He wakes to saliva on his face and yipping in his ear, and though disoriented for a moment ( _because he hadn't heard that bark in_ years), memories from the night previous take form, and he can't help the face-splitting grin on his (now) young countenance. "G'morning, boy!"

Akamaru yips his own greeting, and they both take a moment to revel in their achievement. And they should be able to, shouldn't they? Everyone else had said, in no uncertain terms, that what _they've_ managed to do was impossible. No matter how many late nights they'd spent studying it, no matter how many scrolls they'd scoured through, no one had believed the famous Inuzuka Duo could _travel back in time_.

Kiba so badly wants to go back and say "I told you so!" to all of their doubters, but taking upon a serious face (which looks comical on his childish features), he shakes his head and reminds himself of the whole reason they'd gone back in the first place. "Okay, boy, we've got a lot to do in a ridiculously short amount of time. You remember the plan?" Akamaru, recalling hours and hours of going over known catalysts and big events in the past, mirrors his expression and nods.

Kiba continues, pointing to himself, "I'm obviously twelve-ish. Just going by the lack of callouses on my hands, I can tell we've ended up sometime between becoming genin and our first Chunin Exam. We didn't start seriously training until after getting our asses kicked by Naruto in the prelims. So..." He puts his hand to his chin in a sort of 'thinking pose' before bringing his fist down on his palm with an "Aha!"

Akamaru, used to his best friend's antics by now, simply watches said man-turned-boy practically skip over to what he recognizes to be a paper wherein humans mark the days of the week hanging on the wall. Kiba, finger tracing the rows of tiny boxes on the paper, stops on a specific box marked with red ink. "Wow! Today's the day we get assigned to our teams!" The excitement abruptly turns to horror as Kiba realizes that they're going to be _late._

"Wha-!" He squeaks out as he rushes to get out of his pajamas and into his signature outfit as a genin—a fishnet t-shirt with a gray black faux fur lined hoodie pulled over it, brown three-quarter pants, blue ninja sandals, and a weapon pouch on his right leg. He finds his forehead protector on his dresser, and after tying it around his head, he checks his appearance in the mirror and though nostalgic, he can't help feeling distinctly weird without his jounin attire (which consisted of all black clothing.)

His moment of reflection is broken by Akamaru's amused bark, and he suddenly remembers what he's supposed to be doing. "Ah! Thanks, Akamaru." He picks the nindog up and places him safely in his jacket before jumping out of the window. Akamaru barks again, letting Kiba in on the fact that they're not supposed to be able to travel via rooftops yet.

With a sheepish grin, he stops himself from leaping to the neighboring roof and simply falls to the ground below his window, landing with a grace he's also not supposed to have at this level. "Heh, heh... Good thing I have you, boy." Akamaru merely sweatdrops, yipping an affirmative. Grinning once more, Kiba springs to his feet and begins the 'long' sprint to the Academy (with Akamaru's warning to downplay his skills in mind.)

Passing buildings he'd seen demolished with his own eyes, Kiba finds, is decidedly odd. Waving back to villagers he hasn't seen in years _(because they're dead,_ his mind whispers) is doubly so. He thinks he's developing a twitch, and he's only been back for less than a day. "Wonder what seeing our friends is going to be like..." He mumbles to Akamaru, knowing his best friend is having the same reaction he is to a relatively peaceful Konoha.

The nindog whimpers quietly, and Kiba feels like doing much the same as they slide to a stop in front of the building they'd spent six years in. Shaking off the melancholic atmosphere that had descended upon the duo, Kiba relays, shuddering, "I'm just glad we don't have to go through the Academy again. I don't think I could _handle_ sitting through another lecture from Iruka-sensei." Akamaru goes to answer only to tense noticeably as he feels a presence appear suddenly behind them, alerting Kiba as well.

Before either can even blink, much less apprehend the presence, a hand seizes Kiba by his hood, picking him up off of the ground, and he comes face to face with a visibly fuming Iruka. Smiling uneasily, Kiba scrounges up his courage and greets his furious sensei, "Eh, good morning, Iruka-sensei..." The man only scowls harder, and Akamaru hides within Kiba's jacket with a yelp.

"'Good morning'?" He repeats disbelievingly. "You're ten minutes late to your _graduation ceremony._ It's bad enough that you regularly skipped my _class_ , but I thought you'd at least show some of the will to achieve that dream of yours and show up on time today. Even _Naruto_ arrived on time!" His voice rose higher the longer he went on, and by the last sentence, it nearly damaged Kiba's eardrums. He grunts as Iruka drops him unceremoniously to the ground. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Feeling thoroughly chastised, he frowns (and a part of him marvels at how affected he is by this man's admonishments even as an adult) and mutters, "I didn't do it on _purpose_. I was so excited last night that I couldn't sleep until sometime after midnight, so I accidentally overslept this morning." At this (half-truth), he turns pleading eyes to his teacher, "I got here as fast as I could. I didn't even eat breakfast!" As if to prove his statement, his stomach growls, sounding rather loud in the silence following his explanation.

Akamaru, who'd come out of hiding during Kiba's spiel, yips to his partner about his own hunger. "Oh, sorry, boy!" He then goes into one of his many pant pockets and brings out a bag of his own specially made dog food and feeds Akamaru.

Iruka, warm smile overtaking his shock at the scene before him, bends down to his student's level, left hand rifling through his weapon's pouch. Finding what he was looking for, he pulls out a scroll and unseals it to reveal a few sticks of dango. Kiba, curious as to what his teacher was up to, can only gape at the food being held out to him.

Chuckling softly, Iruka gestures for the boy to take the food. "Go on. It's not the most nutritious meal to have for breakfast, but some food is better than none at all." As Kiba takes the treats with a nod of thanks, he goes on to say, "The sugar should also help with waking you up so that you won't give your new jounin sensei a bad first impression. That would reflect badly on me, after all, and we wouldn't want that, would we?" Kiba really needs to learn how to smile so kindly whilst giving off such a threatening aura; it might negate the chills he gets from Iruka-sensei's grin.

After hurriedly finishing up the dango (because he _really_ doesn't want to get back on Iruka's bad side by taking his time), Kiba and, of course, Akamaru follow Iruka-sensei into the achingly familiar building, down the same old hallways, and into the room they'd spent most (well, minus the times they'd skipped) of their childhood.

Stepping foot into the room, he immediately notices that all eyes are focused on them, and his breath hitches momentarily as he takes in his (future) comrades as young, innocent children. The moment truly is fleeting as most gazes, curiosity sated, leave his (now) small form and conversations start up again. He almost sweatdrops at just how easily he was forgotten. Back in his time, he and Akamaru had developed quite the reputation, what with first being apart of the Rookie Nine, followed by the formation of the Konoha Eleven, and then gaining his own fame as a duo with Akamaru during the war and thereafter.

Iruka breaks him out of his reverie with a gentle nudge, and he blinks owlishly before heading to an open seat at the back (and what he vaguely recalls as being where they'd sat the first time around.) As Iruka tries to gain back the attention of his fellow classmates, Kiba takes the time to observe them. Despite his initial shock, everyone seems to be just as he remembers. Naruto's even got a few bruises, which, Kiba is sure, he gained from an accidental locking of lips with the Uchiha. He internally smirks at the thought of such a childish antic.

With that memory comes a rather belated realization—the fact that _all_ of his friends, former, future, what _ever_ , are comparatively weak _children_ and _not_ the total badasses he knows from his time. 'Well... That's not good.' Fighting not to pout, he scolds himself for not having thought of this sooner. 'Besides Team Gai, we all kind of sucked in the Chunin Exams,' he muses, not taking into account the tremendous strength of the Rookie Nine compared to other genin fresh from the Academy. 'And none of us are all that close right now, either... Agh!' He barely manages to restrain himself from slamming his head onto his desk.

Deciding to ignore the (very important) issue, he smirks at a harried Iruka finally resorting to threatening to keep them all back in the Academy another year in order to shut them up. The result is immediate as the room grows quiet and all attention is focused on their brunette sensei. Sighing exasperatedly, he straightens and puts his hands on his hips before addressing them, "Starting today, you are all official ninjas, but you are all still new genins. It's going to get harder from here." Kiba holds back a snort at the truth of that statement. 'You have no idea...'

The man goes on to abruptly reveal information that comes as a real shock to orphans and those not of Clans or shinobi families, "You will be placed in groups of three wherein you will accomplish missions under a Jounin sensei." Gasps resound around the room, and Kiba wonders why no one ever bothers to add this tidbit of knowledge to the ninja curriculum. Seems kind of important. Like the whole basis of the village's ideals. Not for the first time does Kiba regard his superiors with a healthy amount of disbelief at their oversights.

In the wake of the Big Reveal, Kiba overhears two of the (future) strongest kunoichi in the entire village bickering over a revenge-obsessed-soon-to-be-turned-traitorous boy. Again with the oversights! Heedless of the break-out of murmurs throughout the class, Iruka plows through, "We've arranged the groups such that overall abilities are equivalent. I will now announce them." An anticipated silence reigns as the genin wait to find out who they'll be teamed with. Kiba is not one of them for reasons obvious to only two living beings, but he also could quite easily calculate the teams by said overall statistics.

The second generation of Ino-Shika-Cho was a sure thing being that they'd been groomed for this since birth, and their superiors would definitely want a repeat of the success of their fathers. His team was also a likely possibility, what with all of Team 8 specializing in tracking considering their respective Clans' special techniques. Team 7 really was the only oddball team with it being made up the last Uchiha, a civilian girl, and the jinchurriki of the Kyuubi. (It will be the strongest, he knows, despite his team's best efforts, if he knows anything at all about those three.)

He's been pondering to himself for most of the announcements, and so it is no surprise when he finishes his assessment in time for the seventh team to be called out. "And Team 7 will be..." He swears Iruka enjoys building the suspense because why else would he pause in such a crucial place? Kiba is certain that the man already knows the list by heart; he's just messing with them. 'Must be his revenge for all of the trouble we've caused him over the years...' Kiba muses.

Iruka ends the 'torture' after a few seconds, "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Huh?"

"Haruno Sakura."

"Uh.." "Yeah!"

"And Uchiha Sasuke."

"Yeah!" "Ugh..."

The snickers Kiba had been attempting to withhold at Team 7's reactions increase tenfold after witnessing Hinata's downtrodden face. Her disappointment itself isn't the cause—no, he's not that cruel. He'd just forgotten Hinata's fixation on Naruto when they were kids. Oh, the fun he's going to have teasing her about it again... He composes himself at Iruka's words, "Next, Team 8..."

"Hyuuga Hinata."

"...Y-yes."

"Inuzuka Kiba."

Feral smirk. "Hmph."

"Aburame Shino."

Fixing of glasses.

Kiba feels giddy at having been (officially) assigned his team. He can't wait to _train_ , and he's going to pull his favorite prank on Hinata, and he's going to make Shino warm up to him. They're going to meet Kurenai (again) today, and Team 8 will finally, _finally_ be together again. "It's been too long..." He mumbles low enough that only Akamaru will hear. The nindog nods enthusiastically in agreement, just as excited as his partner to be with those who will come to be their family (again.)

He misses the assigning of Team 9 by the argument breaking out between Sakura and Ino, yet another event that has remained the same. He only actually listens to the exchange between Shikamaru and Ino, wherein he questions her on her obsession with Sasuke and states, in reply to her question in return, that he is, in fact, not a girl.

"That's why you're not popular. I wouldn't want to team up with a guy like you."

Kiba does not miss the irony.

"Team 10... Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru—"

And apparently, neither does Shikamaru, "Looks like you _have_ to team up with me."

"And... Akimichi Chouji."

'Is it odd that even the sight of Chouji eating chips is nostalgic?' He wonders.

"That's it for the groups," Iruka finishes, expecting outbursts from his rowdy students. He is not disappointed. Kiba tunes out the bickering and consequent explanations, lamenting his inability to start up conversations or even bring up inside jokes with his fellow genin. Why'd he have to be such a brat when he was younger? It makes it harder for him to follow through with his plans.

...Eh, well, building bonds between the Konoha Eleven earlier this time around was on his to-do list, anyway. He'll just have to start on that first. Convincing them to train seriously will have to come second. He catches the tail end of Iruka's dismissal and happily does as requested.

Before leaving, he decides that he might as well start 'bonding' right away—quite literally, in fact. He notices Hinata has yet to leave her seat, still saddened by the prospect of not being on Naruto's team, no doubt, and he quickly calls out to Shino as the boy is about to leave through the door. "Oi, Shino!" When the boy stops and turns toward Kiba, he suggests, "Why don't we have lunch together?" He inclines his head toward his female teammate, "You, too, Hinata. We're a team now, right?"

The bluenette, though clearly startled, replies with a timid smile, "S-sure, K-Kiba-kun." They both look expectantly (in Kiba's case, anyway) at Shino, and said boy hesitates only a moment, calculating, probably, the advantages of such social contact or maybe wondering what prompted Kiba to invite them both out, before nodding in acquiescence.

Kiba's grin widens, and he lets out an "Alright!" as he and Hinata make their way down the steps toward the bespectacled boy. Akamaru yips in excitement from his place in Kiba's hoodie. Sporting a somewhat sheepish grin for not having thought this through, he asks, "Where do you guys want to eat? I didn't bring a bento." He lifts his hands to show the truth of his statement.

Shino is the first to answer, surprising Hinata into squeaking as she had just worked up the courage to do so, "I do not have a bento either. Why, you ask? Because I did not think we would spend the day in the Academy. Why would I think that? Because we have graduated and become shinobi within Konoha's ranks." He continues, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, "As for where to eat, I would not mind dining in the cafe closest to our current location. Why, you ask? Because I enjoy the wild grass salad served there."

Kiba, momentarily dumbfounded by Shino's talkativeness (They'd only actually begun conversing after the Sasuke Retrieval mission; that, he quickly realizes, was most likely his fault. He hadn't exactly been very friendly to the 'strange bug kid' who'd suddenly become his teammate the first time. It's going to be different this time, he resolves), smiles and goes to clarify, "You mean that little shop run by that elderly couple?" At Shino's nod, he agrees, "Yeah, sure. They have awesome beef jerky." He looks to his timid comrade, "You okay with that, Hinata?"

Flustered at the sudden attention—She hadn't expected him to ask her opinion. Kiba-kun and Shino-kun had seemed like they had already decided, after all. Oh, why did they need her help?—she jumps slightly, eyes darting between the two boys. She expects them to become annoyed with her fidgeting or her silence, but Kiba-kun only smiles encouragingly at her, and Shino seems to be patiently waiting for her to answer, _her_. Swallowing thickly, she squashes down the need to hide because they're _counting_ on her. "Y-yes, I-I like th-that cafe."

Throwing his fist into the air, much to the surprise of the other two, he shouts, "Great! I'm starving!" Akamaru barks his own degree of hunger, and Kiba pets him, chuckling. "You are, too, huh, boy? Haha, hold on, we'll eat together, alright?" Another bark from the nindog marks the urgency of reaching the aforementioned salad/beef jerky cafe, and Kiba heads for the the hall and the door leading outside. Shino follows along after a moment and walks on Kiba's right. Hinata catches up to walk along Kiba's left a split second after Shino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic has been cross-posted to fanfiction.net under the username Kolbie Ru-Ru. 
> 
> Unfortunately, this story is on the back burner for now. My muse is a flighty, flaky little thing, and it seems to avoid this particular fanfic a little more than the others. Regardless, I hope you guys get some enjoyment out of it and, perhaps, anticipate the eventual update. :D


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

 "If a man be great, even his dog will wear a proud look."

\- Japanese proverb

* * *

 

Quickly tiring of the silence he and his companions had been immersed in since leaving the Academy, Kiba finally gives into the urge to break it. "So who do you guys think we'll get for our jounin sensei?" He asks, honestly curious. _He_ already knows who and why very well himself; he's just wondering what his friends are expecting. He remembers thinking he'd get a super cool _male_ sensei who wielded a giant sword or had some awesome ninjutsus and looked badass ( _Kind of like Ibiki_ , he snickers internally.)

That, obviously, had not happened. He'd gotten Kurenai-sensei, a pretty (weak-looking) _kunoichi_ who specialized in _genjutsu_. He and Kurenai-sensei had definitely gotten off on the wrong foot, what with him accusing her of being weak and demanding a male sensei right away. The thorough beating he'd received from her in a taijutsu only match had certainly served its purpose in teaching him not to underestimate his opponents, no matter the gender or appearance. (Not that he'd put the lesson into actual _use_ until quite a few life or death missions later.)

"W-well, I... I would.." Hinata pipes up, taking a moment to swallow the lump in her throat at the sudden pair of eyes on her before going on to say, "I w-would like a f-female se-sensei..." Kiba ignores the need to comment on her uncanny ability to guess certain details about upcoming events; she'd had the same ability in the future. Of course, it only ever applies to random occurrences, so they were never able to use it on missions.

Shino, in another show of familiarity he'd not had Kiba's first go 'round, answers rather plainly, "We have no way of knowing for certain who our jounin sensei will be. Why, you ask? Because no information we've received thus far has given any indication as to a specific person." Hinata, previously looking quite proud of herself for answering, maybe, abruptly takes on a gloomy aura as her shoulders slump.

Sweatdropping, Kiba smiles disarmingly at Hinata, and kind of misses his future, fearless teammate, "Oi, oi, Hinata, no need to be sad. We're glad you told us your opinion." Seeing that this has no effect, he decides to take to convincing Shino of the validity of his question. "I get what you're saying, Shino, but I doubt the Hokage would just dump any old jounin on us. I mean, look at our team."

Realizing that he has the attention of both of his team members, he explains, "Team 8 will obviously specialize in tracking. Shino has his kikaichu. Hinata, you have your Byakugan. And me, I've got Akamaru," Here said dog barks, and Kiba taps his nose, "and our heightened sense of smell." Seeing that they've reached their destination, he steps inside, choosing a seat closest to the door, and continues after they've all been seated and have ordered, "They're most likely going to assign a jounin who will actually be able to help us in our respective areas."

Becoming uneasy at the silence following his words, he rubs the back of his neck, chuckling slightly, and says, "Or, well, maybe not. Our sensei _could_ be whoever happens to be available for the position, I guess."

Eyes narrowing behind tinted glasses, Shino takes a moment to reassess his new... teammate. It seems he'd written the boy off as a likely nuisance too soon. "I see. You make valid points, Kiba-kun. I had not taken our individual abilities into account. Why, you ask? Because I simply assumed our team was formed based on our Academy performances. Why is that? Because that is the explanation Iruka-sensei gave to Naruto-kun when he voiced his concerns earlier."

Scratching his cheek, Kiba smiles anxiously, pointing out, "Yeah, I figure Team 10 is the only other team like ours. It's made up of Clan Head's kids, too. Team 7 and all the other groups were probably placed using that system."

Having recovered from her bout of depression, apparently, Hinata voices her own curiosity, "Uh, um.. Kiba-kun?" At his nod of acknowledgment, she hurriedly forces herself to squeak out, "W-what made y-you think of-of th-this? Th-the reasons f-for ou-our team...?"

They both, once again, look to him in askance, and he can't help but wonder whether or not this outing was a good decision, after all. He's given a bit longer to think of a reply by the arrival of their food. Akamaru, having seemingly forgotten about his hunger until now, barks for Kiba to get out his own food. "Yeah, yeah, I got you." He then ruffles through the same pocket as earlier and pulls out a small scroll, unsealing it to reveal a steaming bowl of a different flavor of dog food Kiba had only recently concocted. He sets it on the booth seat to this left, and Akamaru wastes no time jumping down to it and eating.

Kiba laughs and begins to dig into his own food. Not long after, he finally answers Hinata with, "I didn't really think about it until just after we were assigned to Team 8. I wasn't disappointed or anything; I just wondered _why_. And what I told you guys is what I came up with." He relaxes minutely after getting nods from the both of them; though, he doesn't fool himself into thinking he hasn't changed their opinions of him with the seemingly innocent exchange of words. If just conversing with his _new_ team is this difficult, he can't even imagine how conversations would go with a team he'd been with for a while. They'd probably label him an imposter or something. He shudders internally at the thought.

When Hinata comments on the time soon after, the three hastily finish their meals and pay before sprinting back to the Academy, disheveled and hoping they make it in time. Kiba, for his part, can't help but laugh because he can't remember having this much so early on, earning odd looks from the other two.

Hinata manages to ask, "W-what is it, Kiba-kun?"

Grinning cheerily at the two of them, he points out simply, "Heh, I just realized that I've never had so much fun." Akamaru, sleepy from a full stomach and the warmth radiating from Kiba, agrees with a tired bark. Kiba's grin only widens to a face-splitting degree at their reactions; Hinata "Eep!"d, turning tomato red, and even Shino glowed a bit pink from underneath his collar.

They didn't slow their pace until just before entering their classroom, so they aren't terribly late. Iruka-sensei isn't scowling darkly at them, at any rate, so Kiba's willing to bet they're in the clear. Hands resting behind his head in a familiar motion as they walk to three empty seats in the back of the room, he belatedly realizes he's not wearing his hood up like he'd chosen to do for most of his genin days. Shrugging as they sit, with Shino on the right, Hinata on his left, and he and Akamaru in the middle, he doesn't go to fix it. The outfit is weird enough without having an unfamiliar weight on his head; it would also limit his field of vision. He's better off just leaving it be.

Leaning back in his seat, hands in his pockets, Akamaru asleep in his jacket, Kiba is the picture of nonchalance, a decidedly odd notion when comparing him to the others in the room, all chattering nervously, excitement almost palpable. Shino is just as stoic as ever beside him, and Hinata is visibly fretting, yet another common sight in this particular homeroom.

Iruka-sensei announces the jounin assigned to their teams, and Kiba spots Kurenai-sensei standing near Asuma-sensei at the front of the room. He wonders why he doesn't see Kakashi-sensei until it occurs to him that the man was perpetually late to everything when he knew the man in the future. He doubts the man is any different now, and so he finds himself hard-pressed not to point and laugh at Team 7's predicament.

It doesn't take long for the other teams to file out, leaving just the Rookie Nine and only two jounin senseis. He takes a moment to wonder how in the hell he keeps managing to miss the three kids making up Team 9. Surely they can't have been called before his team? His thoughts are interrupted as Iruka calls out, "Team 8, you've been assigned to Kurenai-sensei." He gestures to the woman decked in an outfit Kiba recognizes to be inverse to that of the one she'd worn every day after becoming their sensei. Maybe one day he'll man up and ask her about it.

Hinata squeaks, and so Kiba's finally able to point out, "Hey, look at that, Hinata! You were right!" Chuckling at her reaction—eyes darting about the room and looking frantic—he grabs both of their wrists and pulls them behind him as he treks down the stairs and toward the last member of Team 8, once again surprising his teammates.

Shino, for his part, is merely startled by the lack of bugs swarming out and attacking Kiba-kun as is usually the case when anyone tries to touch him. Taking a moment to listen to the docile buzzing of his kikaichu, he realizes that his bugs are quite comforted by the presence of Kiba-kun. It's almost as if they know his teammate will never hurt him, would protect him with his life, even. Just another piece of the puzzle that is Inuzuka Kiba, he muses, not all that perturbed at having such a... bright comrade, in more ways than one.

Their third teammate thinks she might just faint. No one's ever held her wrist and led her anywhere (Except for Naruto-kun, a traitorous part of herself reminds her), and she's not sure Father would approve. Her eyes keep going between her two new teammates and their _female_ sensei. That's right; somehow she'd gotten her wish. (Except she's not on Naruto-kun's team, the same voice adds.) She almost becomes saddened by that very prospect again, but she feels a slight tug on her wrist and looks up again, and she thinks that this team might not be so bad. Kiba-kun seems really friendly, and Shino-kun doesn't seem to mind her timid nature. She might even finally have a friend in their sensei.

Kurenai's just glad her team isn't full of the arguing children she'd witnessed in other groups called before hers. She'd read up on the three kids, of course. The files are accurate in that Hinata-chan is obviously very shy (Something Kurenai plans to change as soon as possible; oh, how she'd like to give the girl's father a piece of her mind...), Shino-kun is a quiet, logical boy, and Kiba-kun is definitely boisterous and full of the energy the Inuzuka are known for.

So, no, she wasn't all that surprised by the differing personalities she'd observed of them as the teams were being assigned. What _had_ surprised her was the ease with which the three displayed around one another. None of them had been close before now, or so she'd been led to believe. With the descriptions she'd read of their characters, she'd thought she'd come upon bickering between Kiba-kun and Shino-kun with Hinata-chan fretting about what to do between them. This is obviously not the case.

Not even a moment later, she'd been alarmed when Kiba-kun had grabbed the other two by their wrists—doubly so when, rather than having to rescue the boy from Shino-kun's kikaichu, the Aburame had willingly let himself be pulled along, and Kiba-kun _hadn't_ been covered in chakra-draining insects. Heart pounding, she forces herself to relax the muscles that had tensed in preparation, and she actually smiles when sees the two give Kiba-kun considering looks before acquiescing. Seems like she won't have to worry about much conflict from her charges, after all.

Kiba, not noticing _any_ of the ever changing opinions he's garnering from his team members, only releases Shino and Hinata when they stop in front of their new sensei. Beaming up at her (and wow, is he short now, he notes; he'd towered over Kurenai-sensei in the future), he greets, "Hiya, Kurenai-sensei!" Akamaru, apparently done napping, barks in excitement. Kiba ruffles his fur and laughs, "I know, boy! I'm excited, too! We're finally all together!" The sheer sincerity in his words and his laughter softens the expressions of those present.

"Good afternoon, children. If you'll follow me, I'll take us to a place where we can introduce ourselves and get to know each other." At the simultaneous affirmation from her new students, Kurenai lets out an "Alright, let's go!" before doing as she'd said and leading the children away. She takes them to Training Ground 11, an area Kiba knows by heart; it had and will most likely be their meeting place for the foreseeable future.

She stops at the edge of field and gestures for them to sit on the grass. Kiba happily drops down, sitting cross-legged and practically bouncing in exhilaration, and the other two follow, albeit more gracefully. Kurenai looks down at them all before deciding to take a seat herself, opting to sit on her knees in front of the trio. "Now, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Yuhi Kurenai, and I'll be your jounin sensei. Genjutsu's a specialty of mine, and I hope to train you all to the best of my ability. And you are?" She waves a hand in Hinata's direction, and said girl becomes visibly flustered.

"Um, um..." Kiba notices that Hinata's begun her weird habit of pressing the tips of her index fingers together, and recalling just how long it had taken her the first time (He'd eventually just answered for her and then introduced himself, being the rude brat that he was) he gets an idea. "Oi, Hinata." He leans in slightly, hand coming to shield his mouth, and whispers conspiratorially (though still loudly enough that the others can hear), "Between you and me, I think she picked you first because she thinks you'd make a good kunoichi."

Hinata gasps, "R-really, Kiba-kun?" She doesn't dare to believe it. Her.. a good kunoichi? No one has thought that about _her_ before.

Beaming at her, Kiba nods, adding, "Yeah, and _she_ 'd know. You've got to be super strong to become a jounin, y'know."

"You think so?" She pipes up in an even squeakier voice, disbelief being overwhelmed by hope. By this point she's leaned slightly towards Kiba-kun, eyes wide, lips usually a squiggly line seeming upturned at the corners.

At her obvious shock, he nods sagely, a comical expression on such young features. "Of course!" And he states it with such confidence that Hinata finds herself believing him, even just a tiny bit. So when he inclines his head toward their new sensei, a woman who _believes_ in _her_ , what can she do but fulfill such expectations?

With that, a determined expression takes over her usually timid face, and she turns back to Kurenai-sensei and quickly summons all the courage she can muster. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata, and I hope to sp-specialize in m-my Clan's techniques! I'm looking f-forward to training under y-you..." If her voice, which had started out quite strong, started to waver, and her stuttering returned by the end, no one said anything. In fact, when she opened her eyes—she'd shut them when she'd begun speaking—she was met with smiles all around (Or, well, she _thinks_ Shino-kun would have smiled... He seemed _happy_ , anyway...) A small smile blossoms on her own face, and she looks to Kiba-kun to thank him, but the boy just shakes his head, giving her a thumbs up.

Their new sensei feels almost as if she should give the boy her own thanks. She'd only really chosen Hinata-chan to go first because she'd figured letting the bluenette set the bar for the boys would give her a sense of accomplishment, and she wouldn't have too much time to fret over her own answers while the boys gave theirs. When the girl had begun by fidgeting, she'd expected to wait a bit for the girl to calm down. However, Kiba-kun had surprised her once again by gently coaxing the Hyuuga into introducing herself with what seems to be a practiced ease. Maybe the Inuzuka had shy cousins, or he was just good at reading people. Either way, she mentally reassesses Team 8 once more. She doubts Hinata-chan's confidence will be an issue much longer if she and Kiba-kun have anything to do with it.

Shino, not particularly certain as to the origins of his male teammate's ability to talk Hinata-chan down from her mild panic attacks, is slowly becoming used to expecting the unexpected. Kiba-kun continues to defy his expectations, but he's not worried by this development. No, unpredictability will be a good weapon to use against enemy nin; he just has to learn how to properly communicate with his team members so as to use it effectively and not be fooled by it himself. In the meantime, it couldn't hurt to observe how to stop their female comrade from fainting even outside of battle.

Kurenai, mirroring Kiba-kun's grin, nods to him with a, "And you?" prompting him to finally introduce himself.

Now that it's his turn to speak, he points a tanned thumb at his chest, announcing, "Name's Inuzuka Kiba," his hand moves toward his best friend, and he continues, "and this is Akamaru. We're going to surpass all the regular Inuzuka techniques and create our own!" He throws his head back in raucous laughter, Akamaru joining him, and the other three find themselves torn between sweatdropping at his presumptuousness or actually listening to the small parts of themselves telling them, with the utmost confidence, that the boy and nindog can and will prove the outrageous claim.

Settling for a mix of both, Kurenai smiles uneasily, "Right. That just leaves you." She gestures toward Shino.

Shino, the only (comparatively) normal kid out of the bunch, says his own piece, replacing his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he begins, "My name is Aburame Shino, and it is likely that I will specialize in Aburame Clan techniques. Why, you ask? Because such an achievement is to be expected of me. Why is that? Because I am the son of the Clan Head." Assuming the boy is finished, Kurenai goes to speak, only to stop herself as the Aburame goes on to say, a resolute glint in his eye, "However, as a member of Team 8, it seems that I must exceed such expectations. Why, you ask? Because failure as a result of a lack of effort on my part would be unacceptable."

Only momentarily stunned speechless by yet another of her new students, Kurenai grins openly at her charges, "Very well said, all of you. I'll be counting on you three to do your best in whatever task we may take on." Leveling a proud gaze on each one of them, she finishes with, "Congratulations on becoming genin! Welcome to Team 8!"

She dismisses them with a reminder to meet up at the same place tomorrow morning at seven, and as she watches them walk along the path out of the training grounds together, she starts to feel some of the excitement that had been radiating from Kiba-kun since she'd met the boy.

As they take the beaten path towards the bustling center of Konoha, Kiba glances up at the sky, careful not to dislodge Akamaru who he'd placed on top of his head when the nindog had gotten tired of lounging around in his jacket, and he notices how late it's gotten. Bringing a hand to rub his stomach, he attempts to recall whether or not Hana will be home with some of her delicious cooking already prepared for him and Akamaru. When he realizes she _won't_ be, he laments her late working hours and wonders, not for the first time, just why his sister chose such an inconvenient profession.

Shino, having noticed his pained grimace, he guesses, asks, "Are you alright, Kiba-kun? Why do I ask? Because you seem to be in pain."

"W-what?!" Hinata squeaks, now peering at Kiba concernedly as well.

Kiba chuckles a bit and waves away their worries, "Nah, I'm fine. Just realized my sister's not going to be home to make dinner. ...Guess we'll have to make our own, boy." The last part is directed to Akamaru, who whines in dismay, but his comrades catch it, regardless.

While Hinata-chan is busy having an internal debate (Should she invite Shino-kun and Kiba-kun to dine at her compound? Oh, but Father wouldn't _approve_ , and what if they just reject her offer right away? No one's ever seemed interested in visiting _her_ Clan before; why should they now?), Shino spots what appears to be a ramen stand still open at this hour and makes a split second decision uncharacteristic of himself thus far.

"Kiba-kun, Hinata-chan," Said boy and girl turn their attention on Shino, and he makes his proposition, "Returning home to dine alone would be a fruitless effort on all of our parts. Why, you ask? Because eating together would allow us to solidify team bonds, an endeavor that would benefit us both on and off missions. Why am I suggesting this? Because a food stand approximately five meters northwest of our current position appears to still be accepting customers."

Joy from their supposedly stoic teammate revealing a desire to become friends with him (and the prospect of food) causes Kiba to grab the wrists of the other two yet again, forcing them along with him toward the aforementioned ramen stand (that he recognizes to be Naruto's favorite out of all the Elemental Nations), despite no verbal indication of Hinata's desire to do so. Eh, he's certain she would have agreed had he asked, anyway.

Now seated at Ichiraku's, Kiba happily orders an extra large bowl of ramen for himself and comments on the what he'd heard of the quality of their food ("I was told I'd be hooked on your ramen after the first bite!") and service ("Yeah, and they were right about feeling at home here, too!"), boyish charm causing Ayame and Teuchi to start treating him as family almost immediately.

Teuchi, laughing heartily at the boy's fervor, interrupts him gently, asking, "And who are these two accompanying you?"

Kiba, blinking at having been reminded of the existence of his teammates, beams up at the man (whom Naruto had aptly described; he'd warmed up to the man instantly) and introduces, pointing to them at their respective names, "This is Shino, and she's Hinata. They're my friends!" Not noticing that he'd startled said members slightly at the genuine declaration, he goes on, "We were assigned to Team 8 today."

Ayame, voice a teasing lilt, accuses, "Oh, my, what a cute little lady you've found for yourself, Kiba-chan! It's nice to meet you, Hinata-chan, Shino-chan." Her grin widens when the bluenette "Eep!"s and blushes a bright tomato red. Shino merely settles for nodding his acknowledgment, feeling marginally amused himself (but maintaining his blank expression, of course.)

Kiba, immune to such accusations after years of teasing remarks, counters with his own cat-like grin, "Nah, you've got the wrong guy. Hinata's got a thing for—mphupho!" Everyone becomes silent as they take in the actions of the timid girl, face practically glowing, expression panicked, who had abruptly clamped her hands over Kiba's mouth in a successful attempt at stopping the boy from giving out a specific name.

The quiet is shattered just as suddenly as Kiba's muffled snort through Hinata's hand sets off the laughter that had been threatening to bubble over within the owners of the stall. Even _Shino_ huffs a laugh, and Kiba's face-splitting grin comes back full force. "Sorry, Hinata. Didn't know it was a secret," he apologizes, not sounding apologetic at all. He pats her back reassuringly, sighing haplessly when she only nods mutely.

Clearing his throat (and composing himself), Shino decides to inquire about something that's been bothering him since Kiba-kun called out to him this morning, "Kiba-kun, when did you drop the honorifics from our names?" Here, he gestures to Hinata-chan. "Why do I ask? Because honorifics have been an integral part in all of our interactions throughout the Academy, and the disuse of them usually signifies a specific reason."

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, he hopes to sate Shino's curiosity with, "Well, we're official ninja of Konoha now." He taps his forehead protector for emphasis, demeanor now serious. "We're not little kids in school anymore, and I see you guys as my equals. I mean, we're a _team_. I just feel like adding '-kun' or '-chan' to your names would be the same as looking down on you, and I don't want to do that."

Glancing to the side and scratching his nose in embarrassment, he states, "You guys are my friends, y'know?"

The stunned silence following his words (Geez, just how many times can he _do_ that in one day, anyway, huh?) is broken by a decidedly girly squeal, and Kiba finds himself being choked by the deceptively weak-looking Ayame and attempts to get air into his lungs. Akamaru, the traitor, jumped off of him before she lunged and is now sitting safely in Hinata's lap. He manages a glare at the pup during his struggles. "Awww! You're so _adorable!_ I could just eat you eat up!"

He tunes out the rest of her inane babbling and gasps out a plea for help, "Shino! C'mon! Ghk! Help a guy out, agh! …Would you?" When all he gets from Shino is a blank stare, he turns to Hinata. "Oi! Ack! _Hinata_. Helpmeplease!" Surely his shy team member will be willing to save him? He'd been extra, super nice to her all day! The answer to that is a depressing "No", he realizes, as he catches Hinata actually _giggling_ at him. The amusement coming from all those present only increases when Kiba sags in defeat, muttering darkly to himself and the world as a whole.

Teuchi, taking pity on the poor boy, finally pries Ayame off of Kiba, laughing warmly at Kiba's conspiratorial whisper, "You're my only ally, Teuchi-san! We should form our own team; it'll be great! You can be a chef ninja, and I'll do the protecting and stuff. Who needs _them_ (he throws a dark look at the other three), anyway?"

Making a show of just how disappointed he is to be declining, Teuchi whispers in the same manner as Kiba, "No can do, Kiba-kun. In my old age, I'd just slow you down, and I've got a daughter to take care of. No, you'd be better off without me."

Looking quite disheartened, Kiba disagrees, "Oh, but how will I go on? Who can I trust? You're looking pretty spry, old man; I think you could do it!"

Shaking his head and holding back a grin, Teuchi counters, "That is an obstacle you will have to overcome by yourself, Kiba-kun. Making bad decisions is just as important as making good ones; you'll never know if you don't try. After all, 'If you do not enter a tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub.' The remaining spring in _my_ step is devoted wholly to this ramen stand." He ends with a flourish, gesturing to the entirety of the shop.

Wolfish grin in place of his put upon frown, Kiba nods and goes to pay for his meal only to stop short when Teuchi waves his hand away. "That's not necessary." He then addresses the other two, "None of you have to pay. It's on the house tonight." Interrupting their objections, he smiles warmly at all of them, "You've paid enough just by giving this old man a future to look forward to. Now, go on home; it's too late for _any_ one to be out."

Realizing for the first time just how late it actually is, the three children nod, thanking the man profusely, before sprinting off down the street. After they disappear around a corner, Teuchi glances to his daughter, who is mirroring his own grin. "They're good kids." Ayame hums her agreement, adding, "I feel like the future's going to be a happy one."

"I get that feeling, as well." And all of his instincts tell him those three are going to be a major cause of it.


End file.
